Stacie Johnson-Leske

Stacie in the workshop.

As a child, I was mesmerized by dance. I was fascinated by the difficult jumps and turns that the delicate dancers made look so easy, and the way they were lifted and tossed as if they were weightless. I was awed by the strange and colorful costumes, the brilliant lights and dazzling sets surrounding those beautiful and magical dancing creatures.

As a ceramics artist, I am inspired by and employ many lessons acquired from my years of dance training as I dreamed of a career as a ballerina.For me, the clay is the body of the dancer. I use a gritless, white stoneware which appears to be delicate and fragile, when in truth, it has great strength and elasticity. As my “dancer” pirouettes on the wheel, it flexes expanding and contracting into elegant forms. I am the music as I use the rhythm of the spinning wheel to encourage the clay to compress and stretch into fanciful shapes which, like a prima ballerina, are lightweight yet deceptively strong and durable.

Once the form is complete, it is costumed in richly colored glazes or textured in swirling black and white, enhancing the shape and drawing the viewer’s eyes. Each piece allows the viewer to bring to it their own feelings and experiences, inviting them to see and lift for themselves a light and graceful dancer.

As you look at a piece of my work I hope you see the dancing, laughing lines, the unexpected bursts of color and the joyful movement. When you hold a piece of my pottery in your hand you’re also holding a small piece of my childhood spent in the ballet.

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